As I develop my d20/OSR-inspired rules, I’m also looking at both the campaign premise and setting. Though my primary historical focus is on the Renaissance Netherlands, I don’t want that to be the campaign setting for two reasons: …
The fourth playtest of 15XX introduces an overhauled terrain system that includes rules for grizzly “macabre remains” littering the scene of the encounter. I’ve been playtesting this terrain type using casualty markers, but spent a few nights building a dedicated…
I released the fourth closed playtest for 15XX a couple weeks ago. In that time, my focus has been on getting the word out about the rules and getting them into the hands of my (up until now) scattered group…
Last year I began work on a no-magic, historical RPG using a modified d20 / OSR chassis. As I worked on the rules, that chassis began to grow and mutate. Lots of rules and subsystems. Accounting for social class dynamics in…
Exciting news! I’ve just wrapped up and released the fourth closed Playtest for 15XX: my narrative skirmish game for Renaissance-era Europe. How to View the Rules: Current playtesters, check your emails or the Facebook group. Not a playtester? Sign up…
In thinking through and around the question of critical fails (specifically to model the advantages and risks firearms have compared to bows and crossbows), I’ve started to consider a new approach to the games two core mechanics of the dice…
I am deep into the editing and revisioning work on 15XX as I get ready for Playtest 04 (sign up for the closed playtesting here!). I hate the page-by-page editing. I’m a big idea guy, and find work that requires…
Playtest 03 has been in the hands of closed playtesters for blind reviews since January. I’ve gotten some helpful feedback, but – because of COVID-19 – haven’t had a responsible chance to get a game in with another player until…
In theory, I am a narrativist GM who enjoys character arcs and well-developed backstories. In practice, I end up running gag-filled game sessions with my friends that, while not totally full of murder hobos, is more Monty Python than Lord…
The past months have been full of Very Serious Things. Obligations and personal projects that have a weight of Getting It Right: Settling my mom’s estate after she passed in February (PS: grief & probate is not a fun combo)…